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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spell — magic
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ball — a dance
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. spell — letters
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ball — a great time
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. cell — in biology
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com